3. Stock market movers -- Microsoft; Skechers:Shares in Microsoft are set to push forward 4% at the open after the company reported strong earnings on Thursday.

Microsoft posted $110 billion in sales for the fiscal year ending in June, a 14% increase over the prior year. CEO Satya Nadella credited "early investments" in cloud services for the results.

Microsoft has shaken up internal operations to prioritize the cloud and demote its legacy business, Windows. The shift placed Microsoft near the front of rapidlygrowing technology segment after years of struggling to compete in smartphones and online services like search.

Shares in Skechers were being crushed premarket after the footwear company reported a 24% drop in quarterly earnings. The stock is down by about 25% ahead of the open.

Merck said it's cutting the price of Zepatier, a drug that treats Hepatitis C, by 60%, and reducing the price of six other medications by 10%.

The company also said it will not raise the average price of the drugs it sells beyond the annual rate of inflation in the United States and will continue to "evaluate our portfolio to look for opportunities to further reduce costs."

The move by Merck comes after Pfizer announced price hikes for nearly three dozen drugs only to reverse course amid public pressure from President Donald Trump.

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